Last Time
by randomcat23
Summary: Katniss runs into Gale for the last time. Post Series.


**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Hunger Games_, _Catching Fire_, or _Mockingjay_.

* * *

"Today, we remember how we obtained this peace. We remember all the struggles and the lives that were lost." Katniss Everdeen read from her prepared speech to a massive crowd of observers in District Two.

It had been twenty years since the peace began and the new leadership requested her presence at the celebration. Initially she refused the invitation, but her husband convinced her otherwise.

"You're their symbol of hope, Katniss," Peeta had reminded her gently, and so she packed her bags and jumped on the train. That was the easy part. The hard part was saying the words with feeling that just did not exist in her any longer.

"_I don't want to be a symbol anymore,"_ Katniss thought as she came to the end of her speech. Years ago, she had cut off her braid and burned her clothing associated with the Hunger Games.

A great roar of approval rumbled through the crowd and she had to smile, just a bit. Even with her less than stunning speaking skills, they still drew strength from the girl who had been on fire.

Afterward, Katniss avoided anymore public events. There was a parade and loud music coming from one end of the city so she walked in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, her train did not depart till the morning, so Katniss spent her time exploring a mostly empty city.

She ignored the chills that went up her back when distant cheers reached her ears and entered an empty office building. The cheers represented peace, but that knowledge did not stop the memories of the cheers that people had produced for the Hunger Games. Those cheers celebrated death.

As she wandered, Katniss thought of Prim, one of the last victims. Her heart ached, even after all these years. Prim, with her innocence and easy smile. Prim, who always needed a hug, but was more than willing to embrace Katniss when they both felt sad. As she recalled her sister, Katniss also remembered the bursting sound of the bombs, the whistling of the wind, and the darkness she felt inside when Prim died.

That was her breaking point, and she had never patched herself completely. To make matters worse, Katniss knew Gale was involved with those bombs. Forgiveness never entered her mind. Katniss' pace abruptly increased and her fists clenched at the memory.

The past would not leave her alone. It was then she remembered Gale worked in District Two. He might have heard her speech.

What would she have done if he ran into her?

What was he doing now?

She pushed those thoughts from her head. Katniss did not want to worry about Gale Hawthorne.

Her feet carried her through barren hallways, stale in their color and air quality. Everything was gray, even the name tags on the doors. She read the quietly to herself in an attempt to forget the past and the hurt.

_Jonathan Smither._

_Catherine Rivers._

_Rachel A. Aaron._

_Gale Hawthorne._

Katniss paused and felt her heart constrict. Gale worked here? What were the odds?

"_May the odds be ever in your favor!"_

The phrase came back to her and she shook her head furiously, removing the resurfacing memories. _"No,"_ she thought, _"it's too painful."_ But curiosity was a strong instinct, and Katniss no longer had the strength to ignore it.

_Gale Hawthorne._

She read the name again and tried the door, which surprisingly was not locked. But before she could snoop, a voice came from inside, "Come in."

Her eyes widened and her heart dropped.

She thought of running.

"_But he knows someone is here!"_

Again, his voice came, "I said come in! The door's open." The sound of paper shuffling reached her ears. Gulping, Katniss opened the door, unable to stop herself and walk away. She pushed it enough so it banged against the wall.

Gale's head snapped up at the sound. When he recognized her, his mouth opened slightly with a gasp.

"Katniss?" When she did not respond, Gale questioned her again, "What are you doing here?"

What was she doing here? Why was she in the office of Prim's killer?

"_I was in town for the twentieth anniversary of the end of the Hunger Games,"_ she reminded herself. _"I did not want to hear the cheers. So, I came into this building to escape the sounds."_

But, that still did not explain why she was in the office of Gale Hawthorn.

"_May the odds be ever in your favor!"_ The old phrase reentered her thoughts and she met his gaze. Frowning, Katniss set her chin. If it was fate that she should be here she would not lower her guard. Fate had not been too kind to the girl on fire.

Should she sit down? No, that would be too friendly, too comfortable. Tension ran through her veins yet Katniss could not move from the doorway. However, she could not say why. The odds may have brought her here, but the door was still open, allowing for escape.

"Catnip."

The old nickname brought Katniss from her thoughts. "Don't call me that," she hissed, but she was also aware of a small feeling of nostalgia in her heart.

Gale frowned and stood up. "Well, I don't know what you want me to say."

What did she want him to say?

Did she want an apology?

Katniss glared at the name tag on the desk and remembered her sister, Prim. _Project Design Head: Gale Hawthorn_. The little sign did not mention bombs or deaths, but that's what it represented.

"I don't know either," she finally answered. "I don't even know why I'm here," Katniss continued and met his eyes. He was older, so much older it seemed. There were no laugh lines on Gale's face, only stress wrinkles from grimacing and thinking too hard. Part of her sympathized, but a more forceful part thought, _"He's been thinking about weapons…and war. That's what he's paid to do, make new weapons for future wars."_

"I came in town to celebrate the peace, but you still make a living off of the inevitable war."

"I design weapons for protection."

"Bullshit," Katniss' anger flared. "Weapons don't bring peace, only death."

"Don't start this, Katniss." Gale's fury matched her own, and then their anger combined and fed off each other. "Don't you dare—"Gale warned again until the old betrayal was fully opened and the situation escalated into a shouting match.

"_You killed_ _Prim_!" The accusation hung in the air for a split second.

"I did not plant the bombs Katniss." Gale swallowed and jabbed a finger at her. "She was as much my sister as yours."

"How dare you! How dare you stand here and tell me _that_," she spat the last word and spun for the door. Why in the world did she come here anyway? What cruel joke was this? Gale, as her best friend, no longer existed. That ended with the death of Prim. There were no tears in her eyes, but Katniss' throat tightened as she grabbed the handle. So much for escaping the past pain by hiding in an empty building.

Gale's large hand stopped the door.

"Let me go," she demanded.

"No. You came here for a reason." Some of his anger was still present in the way he breathed heavily.

"No, I did not. I came here to hide. I don't know why I knocked on your door. I don't want anything to do with you."

"Lies," Gale made her look at him. "You may hate me, but part of you still cares."

"Stop it!" She pushed his hands away. "That's not true!"

Gale pushed on, "You care too much about people. You always want them to be safe, it's how you think, it's how you work."

"Shut up!" Her fists were ready to strike him. They were ready to pound his mouth into silence. She regretted leaving the celebration entirely.

"You wonder about me!" Now Gale was yelling, unwilling to let her pass. "And I have an answer for you, but you won't like it."

"Let me go, Gale." Katniss whispered, furious. "I'll leave you alone."

"No, you can listen to this, because it's what you came for, whether you think so or not. Don't think that I don't know you." He had stepped aside, giving Katniss room to move.

"You don't know me," she said, venomously. "I did not come here to see you. It was a mistake."

"_And a cruel twist of fate."_

She spun sharply and pulled the office door open and then shut it behind her. Just before it clicked shut, Gale yelled after her, "I'm alone, Katniss. But I'm fine."

The bitterness in his voice made her pause, allowing old forgotten grievances, worries, and feelings bubble up from her heart. "_I should walk away."_

"You were the one for me, but I was not the one for you," Gale continued from behind the door. "But, I'm fine," he repeated.

Katniss sucked in a sharp breath so quickly she almost choked.

When no answer was given, Gale ended with, "Just so you know," and shut the door completely.

Was that what she came here for? To know if he was happy? To know if he managed to make something of his life after the war, after everything?

She had, Katniss found comfort in Peeta's arms and her children's smiles. It did not sound like much, but it got her through the day.

But what about Gale? She had no knowledge of his life after the war.

Katniss listened for his footsteps, but was unable to pick up on his light footedness. "_He was always quiet," _she admitted and recalled the smell of the forest, the soft crunch of dead leaves beneath their feet, and the thrill of their hunting trips.

She still hated him and what his inventions took from her. But for a split second, Katniss was reminded of who he used to be. The friend she could confide in, the one who protected her family while she was away, the one person she could always rely on to remove her from reality, if only momentarily.

He had been her best friend.

But, the man behind the door was no longer that 18 year old boy whom she had loved.

And she could never completely love him again, not after everything that had happened.

"Gale." Her voice was almost a whisper when she pushed open the door again before she could think better of it.

Gale had his head in his hands. When he looked at her, there was guilt in his eyes, and a sick part of her was pleased at the sight.

"The war changed everything, you and me included." She tried to rationalize their broken relationship. It was the war that broke them, she insisted. How else could she explain how far apart they had grown?

"The war took my best friend from me," he said with a sad smile.

Katniss swallowed. "I can't be that person anymore."

"I know. And neither can I."

She stared at him for a long time, trying to get past the dull, but persistent anger and rage. Yet the feelings began to fester once again and the hope of forgiveness rotted with them.

Their chance was ruined, blasted to bits by circumstances and there was no way to fix that mistake. Nothing could change the fact that Katniss blamed Gale for Prim's death. Nothing would make their friendship anything but shattered.

Her thoughts returned to Peeta, her husband, her rock, her best friend. When nightmares rocked her dreams, he was the one who held her tightly. With him, Katniss was almost completely happy.

But as she looked at Gale, Katniss was just reminded of yet another thing that had broken. The man before her, in some other time, may have been the one to hold her at night.

One part of her recoiled at the thought of this killer's hands on her.

Another part of Katniss cried, realizing she had a hand in breaking this man.

The biggest part of her helplessly sighed. Repairing the two of them was impossible. The broken pieces of their relationship had rusted and degraded.

Katniss knew now why she had been brought to this room.

It was to see the impact of the decision she made.

It was also to hit home the impact of his decisions as well.

The hope of reconciliation, if there had been any, was now completely gone.

Katniss met his gaze, knowing there was no room for him in her life, or her in his. This was the end.

"Goodbye, Gale Hawthorne." The words were so final that she almost took them back. However, the bigger, fuller part of her heart sighed with relief. "_This is right. This is how it has to be."_

And even though his face tightened and his jaw clenched briefly, Gale managed to say, "Goodbye, Katniss Everdeen."

She spun on her heal and never looked back.

* * *

It could just be me, but I found the 'break up' (if you could call it that) of Gale and Katniss extremely unsatisfying. I have a hard time imagining that they did not see each other at least once more.

So this is my version of their last meeting.

This is also full of angst, haha, but the ending of the third book was not a happy one, in my opinion, so I think it fits. Or, at least it's some kind of closure.

Feedback would be great!-randomcat23


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